Breakdown of Я наливаю воду в каструлю й ставлю її на плиту.
я
I
вода
the water
в
in
на
on
ставити
to put
плита
the stove
каструля
the pot
наливати
to pour
й
and
її
it
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Questions & Answers about Я наливаю воду в каструлю й ставлю її на плиту.
Why is й used instead of і in й ставлю? Can I replace it with і?
In Ukrainian, і is the standard conjunction for “and.” й is simply a shorter, stylistic variant that you can use interchangeably without changing the meaning. You could just as well write «Я наливаю воду в каструлю і ставлю її на плиту.»
Why is воду not вода? What case is it?
Вода (water) is a feminine noun. Here it’s the direct object of наливати (to pour), so it takes the accusative case. For feminine nouns ending in -а, the accusative singular ending is -у: вода → воду.
Why is каструлю not каструля? What case is this?
Каструля (pot) is also feminine, ending in -я. Because you’re pouring water into the pot (в + movement), каструля goes into the accusative. For -я nouns, the accusative singular ending is -ю: каструля → каструлю.
Why is it на плиту and not на плиті?
The preposition на can take the locative (static location) or the accusative (direction/motion). На плиту (accusative) means “onto the stove” (movement). If you were simply saying “on the stove” as a location (no movement), you’d use the locative: на плиті.
What does її refer to, and what form is this?
Її is the third-person feminine singular pronoun “it” or “her.” It refers back to воду (which is feminine). In both accusative and genitive, the pronoun form is її. Here it’s accusative because it’s the object of ставлю (to put).
What tense and aspect are наливаю and ставлю? Could you use perfective verbs instead?
Both verbs are imperfective and in the present tense (first person singular): “I am pouring…” / “I am placing….” If you want to stress completion of each step, you could use their perfective counterparts: «Я налью воду… і поставлю її на плиту.»
Can you omit the subject Я in this sentence? Why is it included here?
Yes. Ukrainian is a pro-drop language: verb endings already tell you the subject. You can say «Наливаю воду в каструлю й ставлю її на плиту.» without Я. It’s often included for emphasis, clarity or stylistic reasons.
Why use ставлю instead of кладу for “put” in “put it on the stove”?
Both ставити and кладати mean “to put.” Ставити is used when placing something upright or on a surface (you “set” a pot on the stove). Кладати implies laying something down flat. So ставлю каструлю на плиту is the natural choice.